When Brogan O'Brien joined the Prince George Spruce Kings, he knew he was capable of producing points in the province's top midget hockey league.
At the time the Spruce Kings made him an offer to take a spot at centre, he was one of the leading scorers for the major midget Cariboo Cougars, with three goals and three assists in four games.That October leap to junior A in the B.C. Hockey League was full of unknowns for the 16-year-old Prince George native. Now, with the season nearly half complete, it appears O'Brien and the Spruce Kings made the right choice. He now has six goals and two assists in 18 games. Half his goal total came last Friday in a 6-2 win over the visiting Surrey Eagles when he collected his first BCHL hat trick.
"It was better opportunity for me to move up to get better exposure and get to the next level," said O'Brien, who is in Langley with the Kings to play the Rivermen tonight.
"I thought I'd do well but not this well. I think I've stepped up lately with some guys out of the lineup. It makes me feel good they put me out there in key situations and trust me to make the right play. It's definitely a lot quicker and it was kind of tough at the beginning, but I'm slowly getting more and more confident and adjusting to the play."
O'Brien and Kings forward Riley Hawes both played for the Prince George midget tier 1 Cougars last season. They've helped the Kings (14-8-2-2) climb into first place in the Mainland Division, one point ahead of Langley (14-8-1-2).
At six-foot-one, 175 pounds, O'Brien is just starting to fill out his frame, but he's not getting pushed around. Centring a line with Justin Rai and Jake LeBrun, O'Brien had the job of checking 20-year-old Surrey sniper Nicolas Pierog and was taking critical faceoffs in the offensive end when the Spruce Kings had their goalie on the bench pressing for the tying goal Saturday, a game which ended in a 2-1 Kings loss.
"Usually you can tell who the 16-year-olds are in the league but Brogan carries himself like an average-aged player," said Kings defenceman Skylar Pacheco. "He's strong on the puck and he's definitely been great for us."
After going rink-length with the puck and coming close to jamming it past the Surrey goalie with what would have been his fourth goal of the weekend, O'Brien made a heads-up pass into the slot to set up Brent Lashuk for a shot late in the game that nearly found the net.
"He's fantastic and he's just going to get better," said Spruce Kings head coach Dave Dupas. "He's up against some big strong older boys right now and he's holding his own. He needs to get stronger, as most 16-years who come into this league do, but he's a great player."
The Kings will be without centre Bryant Christian (broken jaw) and winger Mitch Barker (sprained ankle, day-to-day). Tonight's game (7:15 p.m. start) will be broadcast live on 99.3 FM The Drive. The Kings host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks Saturday at the Coliseum.
